Queen Suthida of Thailand Completes Solo Flight in Fighter Jet
According to a report by Reference News Network on October 14, the U.S. magazine National Interest reported on October 10 that Queen Suthida is not as internationally recognized as Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. However, objectively speaking, her resume is more impressive: she was a flight attendant, an officer in the Royal Thai Armed Forces, and a member of the King's personal guard, later promoted to commander of the guard, and has been the Queen of Thailand since May 2019.
Queen Suthida currently holds the rank of General in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. She does not only attend ceremonial events in splendid military uniforms; she is a licensed pilot who loves flying, with a total flight time of over 1,100 hours.
On October 8, as the fourth wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), Queen Suthida became the world's first reigning queen to receive fighter jet training, and also the first woman in Thailand to obtain flight qualifications for this multi-role fighter jet.
The queen piloted a single-seat JAS-39C "Gripen" fighter jet of the Royal Thai Air Force, completing a 41-minute solo flight.
After the aircraft landed, the king presented her with a bouquet and placed a golden Gripen insignia badge on her left arm.
This 48-year-old royal has previously flown various aircraft types: Cessna T-41, CT-4E trainer, Pilatus PC-9, Mooney M-20M, Piper PA-34 "Seneca" twin-engine aircraft, and several Boeing 737 passenger planes. She spent over four weeks at an air force base in southern Thailand learning to fly the "Gripen" fighter jet.
According to Royal News, "From mid-August to early October, Queen Suthida made multiple trips to the 7th Squadron for private training. The 7th Squadron is the main operational base for Thailand's 'Gripen'-39C/D fleet, where she trained on the L-39 Albatros advanced jet trainer, which is part of the 'Gripen' fighter training program."
Before completing her solo flight, she had accumulated 10.13 hours of flight time on the two-seat JAS-39D "Gripen" trainer. (Translated by Xu Yanhong)
Queen Suthida of Thailand completed a solo flight in a JAS-39C Gripen fighter jet on October 8, 2023, becoming the first reigning queen trained to fly a fighter aircraft. She has over 1100 flight hours and underwent extensive training at a Royal Thai Air Force base. Following her flight, the King awarded her a ceremonial badge in recognition of her achievement.
- Queen Suthida is the first reigning queen trained to fly a fighter jet.
- She completed a 41-minute solo flight in a JAS-39C Gripen.
- The flight took place at a Royal Thai Air Force base.
- She has accumulated over 1100 flight hours and trained for over four weeks on the Gripen.
- The King presented her with a ceremonial badge after the flight.